33,000 People Live Inside This One City Block

This is Kowloon City in Hong Kong. Before it was demolished in 1994 it was thought to be the densest settlement on earth, with over 33,000 people living in just this one city block.

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It was mostly un managed, and as it grew people built new buildings on top of existing structures.

The city was un-planned and un-regulated in its growth.

Because of the lack of regulation there were virtually no health and safety awards.

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Many of the buildings had no direct access to natural light or fresh air.

Small businesses still flourished within the city.

The city may have looked like chaos from the outside but the people inside lived just like everyone else.

Planes overhead, landing at Hong Kongs airport.

The Kowloon walled city has inspired many film sets and video games.

Photographer Greg Girard said it was sad to see the Walled City finally demolished in 1994. "Every city realizes too late to start caring about their architectural heritage... by the time you start caring about it, it's too late to save it."